Track-sanding device.



B. L. JONES@ B. s. GREEN.

TRACK SANDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION ElLEn EE.14,1916.

1,204,665. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

narran siAfrEs-rxfraur BENJIMAN L. JONEs AND BEETRAM' s'. GREEN, or sYiaAcUsE, NEW YORK;

TRACK-SANDING DEVICE.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N0V 14, 1916.

Application filed February 14, 1916. Serial No. 78,156.

To all whom t may concern Be it lmown that we, BENJIMAN L. J ONES and BERTRAM S. GREEN, citizens of the United States of America,and residents of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Track-Sanding Devices, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is

`a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in track sanding devicesfor electric and other railway cars, and refers more particularly to the structure of the sand delivery nozzle and tol the manner of coupling the same to the standard forms of sand reservoirs or boxes with which the cars are usually equipped. In devices of this character, the delivery pipes are usually arranged with the delivery end traveling in close proximity to the point of contact between/the front wheels and track and are, therefore, always susceptible to the accumulation of moisture, snow and,` icewhich causes the sand to clog or lodge. in the pipe to such an extent as to preventv or vseriously interfere with the free discharge of the sand upon the tracks.

The main object of our present invention is, to provide simple and economical means for applying heat to the nozzle, and particularly to the discharge end thereof, so as to keep the sand therein dry and thereby prevent clogging by the accumulation .of such moisture, snow or ice, thus greatly 1nvcreasing the efficiency and reliability of the entire track sanding apparatus.

We are aware that certain forms of heaters haveheretofore been,d proposed for drying outv the wet sand inthe main reservoir or parts immediately adjacent thereto a considerable distance remote from the track, but such devices have proven to be of little value in climates where rain, snow and ice prevail .for more or less prolonged seasons, because yit has been found that the greatest trouble is experienced in the accumulations Other objects and usesv will be brought out ,l

in the following description. l g Y Inthe drawings Figure l is a side elevation of .our Vimproved sanding apparatus showing by dotted lines a portion of an electric railway car upon which the sanding device is mounted. Fig. 2 isan enlarged 1ongitudinal Vsectional view, partly broken away, of the detached sand delivery nozzle, showingfdiagrammatically a portion Vof the trolley circuit for supplying current lfto the heater in the nozzle. l

As illustrated, the track sanding device is mounted in the vestibule -aof an electric railway car -A- and comprises a sand-containing reservior lmounted in or upon the platform, as -aof the car and provided kwith a conical bottom having an outlet in its apex discharging directly into an vunderlying air pressure pipe -3- which extends horizontally across the outlet so as` inclines downwardly and rearwardly sol thatv its lower discharge end is in close proximity to the track, as -b, along which the car is.

adaptedto move. The valve -Jrisnormally closed and, therefore, the sand in the outlet of the reservoir 1# simply rests within and against the underlying portion ofthe pipe where it is held against escape to any appreciable extent, but may be readily discharged through the nozzle at will by simply opening the valve 4.- by hand, thereby allowing. the air under pressure, to force the air out fromunder the outlet along the pipe and through the nozzle where it is delivered upon the rail. This -nozzle preferably comprises anl outer tubular casing --6- and an inner sand pipe -7- of relatively smaller external diameter than the internal diameter of the casing .-6- so as to form an intervening heating chamber Sea The casing -6- is provided with opposite end heads or caps -9- and -10- suitico ably fitted thereon so as to form Water-tight Y joints to exclude moisture, snow and other foreign matter from the chamber 8 said heads being provided With reduced co-axial openings in which the pipe 7 is closely itted to also Yform Wateitight joints. The

vlower Cap or head 10 is preferably screwed upon the adjacent ends of both the outerY casing 6 and inner tube 7 thereby holding those parts in fixed relation.

The upper cap or end head Q is slidably iitted over andupon the adjacent end of the casing Q and pipe 7 With an interposed packing 11 to form a Water-tight slip joint 'and is provided with a Water-tight Y gland l:2 having its cap, Vas 13 Vscrewed upon the'adjacent portion of the pipe 7 to not only exclude foreign mat'- ter from enteringhthe chamber 8 but Yalso to hold the cap or end head Q firmly Vin place upon the adjacent end of the casing 6 The pipe 7 extends centrally through the casing 6-l andopenings in the endV heads Q and l0-" andV preferably projects at its upper end some'distance beyond the cap 13 ot the gland 12 Y M or similar couk for receiving a union Y pling, Wherebythe nozzle may be easily atelectric heater ext-'ending to a point in close proximity to the discharge end'oi" thenozzlej and, therefore, Yclose to the track.V The I Y heater coil may be connected `by a branch circuit Y 16- of a current supply Wire l7 of the car motor circuit, said branch circuit l6 being connected'to one end of i the heater ceil l5 the other end of said coil being electrically connectedto the Vcasing 6 Which is grounded through the in any YWell known manner. Y

In' the branch circuit 16- is connected pipe 3 and walls of the car to the track Van electrical resistance l8 for cutting deivn the electro-motivev force to the heater coil,'the branch circuitV being adapted to be connected to the main lineV l7 by means of a normally open switch 19 ln some instances, it may be desired tosupply a'greater electro-motive force tothe heater than that produced by the interposition of the Whole ofthe resistance 8 and for this purpose We have provided means Vfor varying Vthe resistance consistingin tapping one end of a Wire 20 into the res1stance l8 between its ends and attaching the other end to afswitch terminal 2l of the switch l9 1 for coperationV With the movableV member of the `switch V l9 1t, therefore,

follows thatrWhen the ,switchV 19 is closed, theY Wholeof the resistance l8 ivill be introduced into the branch circuit 1G and heater coil 15 which will be suiiicient to normally keep the sand in the discharge end of the pipe 7 free from moisture, snow and ice, but in the initial startingoi the car, or in case the discharge end of the nozzle should become tclogged by frozenY or Wetvsand,'the movable member of the switch l9 may be thrown into contact With the terminal 121 thereby cutting out a part of theresistance and increasing the electro-motive lforce and resultant heat in the coil 15 to expedite the drying and free li'oiv of the sand in the discharge end of the nozzle. Y

The important feature of the invention, therefore, lies in the specific structure of the nozzle by which the heat is brought close to the discharge end of said nozzle and to the rail to which the sand is' to be supplied, the structure of the nozzle also serving to permit its parts to be readily removed for access to the heater, and furthermore to permit the nozzle as a Whole to be easily and quickly attached to and ydetachedv Jfrom the Vsand pipe leading from the outlet of the reservoir. Y

ln practice, the feed Wire leading to the nozzle is concealed Within and protected by a suitable pipe 22 as shown iii-Fig. 1, the pipe 22 being connected to the upper end of the nozzi'e,ras shown in Fig. 2, by ineans'of a union 23 andnipple 2dleading'th'rougl'iV the head Q into the chamber 8 The chamber 8 consti tutes a heating chamber extending to a point in close proximity to the delivery end of the nozzle,'and ivhile it is shown' as receiving Van` electric heater, it is evident that it may be used forreceiving any other heating medium ivithout departing from the spirit V'Ofthis invention. Y

l/Vhat ive claim is: Y Y Y Y l. A discharge nozzle for` track-sanding devices comprising outer and inner tubular sections in spaced relation to form an intervening heating chamber, a cap on one end of the outer section supporting the inner' section, a separate cap slidably fitted on the opposite ends of bothsections, .and a heater Within said chamber between the end caps. Y y2. A discharge nozzle for track-'sanding devices comprising an outer case-section and anv inner sand-pipe section in spaced relation to torina heating chamber, a cap secured to therdelivery end ofl the sand-pipe section and to the adjacent end of the casesection, a separaterc'apV slidably fitted upon the opposite ends of both sections, movable Y means on the inner section for clamping the second-named cap in place,randa yheater in Vsaid chamber between the end caps. I

3. A discharge nozzle for track-sanding section for holding the last-named cap in.

devices comprising a sand-pipe section, a cap place. secured to the delivery end of said section, an In Witness whereof We have hereunto set elecric heater surroundiig a portion of the our hands this 8th day of February, 1916.

5 san -pipe section, a tu u ar case-section surrounding the heater and secured at one end SL' to said cap, a separate cap having a slipjoint connection With the opposite ends of Witnesses: the case section and sand-pipe section, and H. E. CHASE,

10 means on the receiving end of the sand-pipe ALICE M. CAgINoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, u

Washington, D. C." 

